July 2007

A very busy and successful July leads A&F team into August with momentum and high hopes!

Mark Hekman and his band of brothers continue to tighten their grip on the inaugural USA Crits Championship Series, by knocking out race number 7 and remaining in the lead of all 3 categories (Overall leader = Mark Hekman, Team Competition leaders = A&F Pro Development Cycling Team, Laps Led leader = Mark Hekman). The series was originally slated for 10 events, but has now been reduced to 9. The remaining races will both be in September with the Chris Thater Memorial and the final show down at the World Championship Criterium in Las Vegas (coinciding with Interbike). Hekman has led the series since day 1, by winning the Athens Twilight Criterium and the USA Crits SE Overall title. A&F has qualified all 6 of their riders for the series finale in Las Vegas!

The International Cycling Classic (formerly known as Milwaukee Super-Week) saw A&F enter every day with some great results and bad luck. Head lieutenant, Brandon Gavic, went down hard and severely fractured his collarbone. He has since had a cadaver bone replacement and is already back on the bike. Wow! The 3 week long NRC event also saw the team's youngest, 20 year old Kiwi, Josh England, grab his first NRC podium finish. Josh nabbed a solid 2nd place at the Evanston Grand Prix to Colavita/Sutter Home's Adam Bergman.

A&F/Inferno's Super-Week wrecking crew, posing with attitude!

The whole team heads to Downers Grove, IL as the top seeded team to take the Stars and Stripes at the US National Criterium Championships. This won't be easy. It won't be easy at all. There are some super-talented teams, and we have some holes to fill due to injuries and illness. Such holes have prompted Inferno to make early 2008 acquisitions before the upcoming event. Inferno is proud to have signed both Remi McManus (2001 US National Road Race Champion) and Jaime Gandara to the roster for the remainder of 2007 and the full 2008 seasons. Both have a wealth of talent, and are being actively recruited by many other teams. We are lucky to have them and know their strength will be an added asset to the already hard-charging A&F train.

Inferno has also announced its intention to once again focus on Cancer charities for 2008. Many of the team's family and close friends have been affected by the disease. As such, Inferno will once again affiliate with the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), in addition to the Perfect Day For A Cure (proceeds also go to LAF) and the Junior Donation Nation.

And finally, the highly anticipated 2008 Inferno Marketing Proposal is at long last available to view. We hope you are all as impressed as we are with the team's image, and MATTEO Studio's unmatched design creativity. You may check it out at www.infernoracing.org.

Best regards,